'Succession' Does Not Deserve To Win Emmy For Outstanding Drama Series
The Emmy Awards announced the nominees for the best show of the year, under the category of Outstanding Drama Series.
The nominees are:
-- Andor (Disney+)
-- Better Call Saul (AMC)
-- The Crown (Netflix)
-- House of the Dragon (HBO)
-- The Last of Us (HBO)
-- Succession (HBO)
-- The White Lotus (HBO)
-- Yellowjackets (Showtime)
Before we begin, check out my friend and colleague David Hookstead's reaction to the Emmys snubbing Yellowstone yet again.
Shall we continue?
Spoiler: Succession will win the award.
It won the award last year, and this past season, the final season, was better received than the penultimate.
Succession also raked in 27 total nods, including making Emmy history with three nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. The nominees are, of course, Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, and Kieran Culkin.
(Go, Roman.)
But does Succession deserve to win Outstanding Drama Series?
We are not so sure.
Succession was a media darling. But the coverage of the show was always disproportionate to the mass interest.
OutKick covered the phenomenon that is Succession following its finale. Take a look:
Succession failed to garner more than a niche following despite its critical acclaim.
However, the Emmy Awards are not a popularity contest. If it were, House of Dragon would run away with the award.
Get this: the final season of Succession averaged 9 million in totality. Dragon drew 30 million.
To the ratings don't equally quality crowd, we agree. Yet Succession was not the best quality show of the year.
That would be Better Call Saul, which also concluded this past season.
Consider that there are ongoing debates about whether Saul is superior to Breaking Bad, to which it's both a prequel and sequel.
We remain Team Breaking Bad. But the fact Saul incited a debate proves how great the series and final season are.
Ask yourself: is Succession a competitor to Breaking Bad for all-time superiority?
Of course, not. Only The Sopranos, The Wire, Mad Men, and, now, Better Call Saul are.
Is Succession's final season even better than The White Lotus' second season? Now, that's a debate.
House of the Dragon is the most popular show of the year. Better Call Saul is the best show of the year.
But Succession is the most acclaimed show of the year. And thus will almost certainly win the Emmy yet again.